Strike King Ocho Soft Plastic Stick Bait Product Review #strikekingocho

Lure Review

Is Strike King's Ocho, Senko's Rival?

Date:	9/22/21
Tackle Type:	Lures
Manufacturer:	Strike King
Reviewer:	Cal

Total Score: 8.00 - GREAT

Introduction: At a recent writer's conference hosted by Strike King and Lew's on Clear Lake, CA, the company introduced us to a host of new products. One product, code named "Chad" by yours truly, is the company's take on a very popular staple amongst bass fisherman. Many "hate" throwing it, but there's no denying its effectiveness and long lasting popularity. Here's our look at Strike King's take on the ubiquitous soft plastic stick bait, the KVD Ocho.

Strike King KVD Perfect Plastic Ocho Specifications
Type	Stick Bait
Material	Soft Plastic
Colors/Patterns	21
Sizes	4, 5, 6, 7 inches
Scent/Plastic Treatment	Coffee Scented, Salt Infused
# per package	10, 8, 6, 6 varies by sizes respectively
Re-sealable Bag?	Yes
MSRP	$4.89

Strike King's Ocho is the company's entry into the soft stick bait race

Impressions: It may be spelled differently, but there's no doubt in my mind the inspiration behind naming Strike King's soft plastic stick bait came from a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals former number 85. In fact, I set out at the writer's camp to put the combined product names in the minds of each of the pros so as to ensure a reel full of bloopers while filming product videos later that week on Clear Lake.

The Ocho has a very familiar shape

But enough with the horsing around. Strike King's KVD Ocho is very similar to the bait that defined this market space only instead of a rounded profile, it features eight distinct sides so its cross section is an octagon rather than a circle. The bait comes in four sizes, twenty one different colors and is packaged with a coffee scent to mask human odors and oils.

But if you look closely, you can see the flat sides

Real World Tests: I acquired a few packages of this bait for testing after the event. There was a stick bait bite on Clear Lake that week, but I wanted to try it under more controlled conditions - in other words, using my own tackle.

The smaller end tapers nicely

Ease of Rigging : My primary method of rigging soft plastic stick baits like Strike King's Ocho is to simply nose hook it with a straight shank worm hook, but Billy Hines, FLW Bass Pro, had such great success wacky rigging this bait on Clear Lake, I decided to do the same thing.

The Ocho has a soft, yet firm consistency and you can really see the flat sides in this shot

I'm not much a fan of the O-ring strategy of wacky rigging because it puts the hook in line with the body of the bait. While I'm sure hook up ratios are just as effective in this manner, it just messes with my mind. I like that hook to be perpendicular to the bait when wacky rigging.

Billy Hines, FLW Tour Pro recommends fishing it wacky

Hines turned me onto Frenzy Bait's Wacky Saddle. This double O-ring device has a tough piece of plastic connecting the O-rings and very much resembles a saddle. Once slid onto the stick bait, simply run the hook point under the saddle and back out and you're ready to go!

He was on fire skipping the wacky rigged Ocho up under the docks at Clear Lake

Strike King's Ocho is easy to cast, skip, pitch, and flip unweighted. I'm sure it'd make a nice Neko and Ned rig alternative as well as the bait fishes just like a traditional soft plastic stick bait. The bait's consistency is soft with just enough salt in that plastic formulation to give the bait the right mass and heft and its durability is on par with the industry standard in this category, the Senko though the Ocho might hold up just a hair better.

Hines didn't have any in his boat, but he recommended the use of Frenzy Baits's new Wacky Saddle for better bait durability

Design & Ergonomics: The Ocho is available in twenty one different colors and four different sizes. Each bait comes in a re-sealable zip lock bag infused with coffee scent to mask human oils and scents. The number of baits per package varies with size of the baits.

The double O-rings slide onto the bait leaving the plastic section has a hook holding "saddle."

Price & Applications: Each package retails for $4.89 regardless of size. Like the Senko, Strike King's Ocho is an excellent choice pitched and flipped up as tight as you can get it to any visible structure, skipped under docks or cast out to submerged weedbeds.

The Ocho rigged with Frenzy Baits's Wacky Saddle

Ratings

Strike King KVD Perfect Plastic Ocho Ratings (?/10)
Construction/Quality	An interesting take on a classic bait profile	8.5
Performance	As versatile and effective as the industry standard	8.5
Price	Less expensive than the industry standard	8
Features	Octagonal cross section, infused with salt and coffee scent	7.5
Design (Ergonomics)	Available in 21 colors and 4 sizes	7.5
Application	As versatile a bait as you'll find	8
Total Score		8.00
Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable! For More Details of the updated rating system visit our explanation here

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus	Minus
+ Less expensive than the legendary incumbent	- Not as many color options as some competing baits in this class
+ Can be fished just like traditional stickbaits. Very flexible rigging options
+ Good color and size options

If you're looking for a Senko alternative, Strike King's Ocho is more than worthy of consideration

Conclusion: Admittedly, it's been a while since I've really fished a Senko extensively. But I've put in enough time with that bait in the past to know the real thing from an imitation. While the Ocho is not an exact copy in terms of consistency, it is very effective nonetheless and a very worthy alternative. Rigged Wacky in Hines's recommended method with the assistance of the Wacky Saddle, and there could be a lot more time in the near future for me with this bait on the water.

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